Editing Circus clown (section)

====[[Joseph Grimaldi]]====
Joseph Grimaldi was one of the greatest English [[pantomime]] clowns. His father, Giuseppe Grimaldi (died 1788), was an [[Italian people|Italian]] dancing master and pantomimist. Joseph's stage debut was at 3 years old in a dance at [[Sadler's Wells]], London's famous variety theatre. Grimaldi never performed in a [[circus]] ring, but spent most of his life performing in full-length pantomimes.

He had the most to do with the development of the pantomime character of Clown. Grimaldi used a substantial amount of colour to his mouth, cheeks, and eyebrows over his painted white face. The most striking aspect of his make-up were large red triangles. His image was followed closely for the next 50 years by most British clowns.

Grimaldi was known as a master in the use of expressions of the body and face, unique sense of comic timing, imaginative byplay, and his overall comic abilities. He was famous and influential enough in his time to have had [[Charles Dickens]] write his biography.

Today clowns are often called Joeys in honour of Joseph Grimaldi. (See above in "Circus clown lingo".)